The XPG Invader X is available in two versions, one without fans and one fully equipped with five, leaving just enough room for your AIO in the ceiling. The bare variant at $100 seems priced alright, but it is too bad that XPG has chosen some aspects that feel like unnecessary cost-cutting aspects one should not expect from a case in this segment. If you chose the unit with fans at a $70 premium, you will also get a PCIe riser cable. Thus, this variant represents great value, if vertical GPU mounting was something you were planning on doing anyway.

The XPG Invader X does have a few design elements we have seen in past XPG cases like the triangular power button and edgy overall design, but none of the XPG enclosures really push things to the extreme in terms of looks. The simple & straight lines and clear window come together to provide a clean canvas to build your system in and to show off your hardware easily. All the components of the case feel sturdy as well, with some attention to detail with bulky feet and otherwise minimal plastic use as well.

On the interior, the case feels roomy, mostly thanks to the shortened metal shroud. This allows for three 120 mm side fans to be installed without requiring the chassis to be too tall. At the same time, the Invader X still offers good storage capabilities with the hard drive mounting plate. As it is not a dual-chamber case, you will be limited to a short or vertical GPU if you opt to use the side for an AIO or custom liquid cooling. But, if that is your plan, you may actually be better served with a dual-chamber chassis anyway.

All the compactness of the XPG Invader X does also raise a bit of a yellow flag in terms of confidence to fit an AIO in the ceiling, While 120 mm based units—such as 240 and 360 mm variants—will fit, 140 mm units may end up colliding with tall components like motherboard or memory heatsinks.

Going over further details of the case, it is nice that you get a separate backplate to mount a vertical GPU, but on the other hand, XPG has opted for breakout expansion slot covers, which seems a bit odd. Luckily you do get a few covers to utilize, with the odds being in your favor that your setup won't ever require more even if you change things around over time. Then, while BTF compatibility is great and would certainly make for excellent, clean builds, a few well-placed grommets would have been a welcome sight as well.

All in all, the XPG Invader X sports a solid, clean, dual-pane design and manages to deliver when it comes to a classic build scenario as long as you stick to 120 mm format cooling elements. If you are looking to pick your own fans, the XPG Invader X can certainly be recommended due to that build quality, albeit feeling a bit on the expensive side. On the other end of that spectrum, there is the fully equipped variant, which does offer more bang for your buck, but also forces you to pay for a riser cable. A single SKU with that five fan configuration for $149.99 with a built-in controller & fan hub, but no riser cable would have likely been the right option to draw the most attention.